Refrigerating apparatus.



G. I. LEONARD & W. C. CUTLER.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1911. RENEWED A]?R.28,1913v Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

mlimlinuy at/named (igozge/ J J 1 GMW fmzw UNITEDYSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE I. LEONARD, OF LOS ANGELES, AND WILLIAM C. CUTLER, OF SA'WTELLE;

CALIFORNIA- Specification of Letters Patent.

REUSSUED Patented Feb. 10, 191 1.

Application filed December 28, 1911, Serial 10. 668,328. Renewed April 28, 1918. Serial No. 764,259.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that We, GEORGE I. LEONARD and WILLIAM C. CUTLER, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively,-at Los Angeles and Sawtelle, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Refrigerating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for refrigeration by the use of a readily condensable fluid or vapor.

The invention is particularly intended for use in refrigerating plants or apparatus of small capacity such as are adapted for use in hotels, houses or commercial establishments.

The main object of the invention is to provide a refrigerating apparatus of this character which will be extremely simple in construction and operation, and at the same time highly efficient.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and referring thereto- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus partly in section, the refrigerating pipe line being shown diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a section on line :c w Fig. 1.

The refrigerating apparatus comprises a combined compressor and condenser indicated at 1, an expansion valve indicated at 2, and a refrigerating pipe line or member indicated at 3, said parts being connected by a piping in such manner as to carry out the cycle of operation consisting of compression, cooling, condensation and expan- The compressing and condensing apparatus 1 comprises a case or tank 5, which may be of any suitable shape, means such as a water jacket 6 surrounding said case for abstracting heat from the contents of the case. A rotary pump 7 is inclosed within the case. a pipe 8 for the expanded gas or vapor being connected to the intake side of the said pump, and the outlet side of said pump communicating directly with the interior space of the case 5, and a body of liquid indicated at 10 occupying the lower portion of the interior of the case 5 and submerging the pump therein and the outlet thereof. v

The rotary pump 7 consists of two gears l2 mounted to rotate in a casing 13, each gear being preferably a double spiral gear, and said gears being mounted respectively on shafts 14 and 15 journaled in said casing 13, the shaft 14 extending through a stufiing box 17in the walls of the case 5 and water jacket 6, and being connected at its outer end to suitable driving means such as a motor 18, a flexible joint 19 being interposed if necessary between the motor shaft 20 and the shaft 14 of the pump. The outlet s1de of the'pump case 13 is cut away or open, as shown at 21, and the inlet side of the pump case is provided with a passage 22 communicating with the pipe 8 aforesaid, said pipe being provided with a check valve 24 to prevent back flow of gases from the pump,

The upper part of the case 5 constitutes a receiver for the compressed and condensed vapor or fluid, and an outlet pipe 25 for the condensed liquid extending through the top 26 of the case 5 and through a stuffing box 27 to connect with a pipe 28 extending w thin an outerpipe 29, said pipe 28 extending at its farther end through a stufiing box 30 at the correspondin end of said pipe 29, and being connected t rough unexpansmn valve 2 to the pipe or coil 3 for distributing or leading the expanded cold fluid to any suitable refrigerator or other device to be cooled. A return pipe 84 from said pipe or coil 3 connects to the outer end of the end portion of the pipe 29 aforesaid, the other end of said pipe being connected by connections 36 to the pipc 8 aforesaid.

The case 5 may be of any suitable construction, consisting, for example, of a base 38 and castings 4-0 and 41 forming twohalves of a cylindrical case, each of said castings being formed with a semi-cylindrical Water-jacket chamber 6, and said castinqs having vertical flanges 42 to enable them to be fastened by bolts 43, and being provided with horizontally extending flanges 45 to receive bolts 46 for fastening the case members to the base and to the top member 26. A pipc 47 connects chambers 6. Gaskets are interposed between the cylindrical portion of the case and the top and bottom thereof, each gasket consisting, for

example, of a brass ring 48 and a ring 49 of asbestos filled with a mixturefof glycerin and litharge. We have found that such a gasket is impervious to the water in the wai'er jacket, to the glycerin, and to the rhigoene.

The operation is as follows :--{I'he liquid indicated at 10 within the case 5 and submerging the pump is of such a nature that it does not mix or react with the refrigeirat ing medium. I have found that rhigo one is a suitable refrigerating medium for use in this apparatus, and I prefer to use glycerin as the liquid for submerging the pump, glycerin being without effect on the rhigolene and not mixin therewith. Glycerin is heavier than rhigo ene and is non-volatile at temperatures usually present in the appa ratus, both of these being necessary properties for the submerging liquid. Moreover, lglycerin has the advantageous property t at it does not nebulize when stirred or agitated with the rhigolene vapor. That is to say the rhigolene does not form bub-- bles in the glycerin under such conditions. Water is supplied to the water jacket chamber 6 through the connection 44, and the temperature in the case 5 is thereby maintained at such a point in the operation of the pump that the compression produced on-the rhigolene vapor is sufiicient to cause condensation of the rhigolene to liquid, forming a body of liquid rhigolene indicated at.50 resting on the body of glycerin 10. As the liquid is compressed by the operation of pump 7 in continual contact with the glycerin and the metallic parts of the pump, the cooling effect of the water jacket is continually transmitted from the outer walls of the case through the glycerin to the metallic parts of the pump and to the rhigolene vapor which is being compressed, so that the maximum cooling effect on the rhigolene is obtained, and at the same time the g1 cerin acts as a seal, preventing leakage 0 vapor in the pump and insuring the full compressive action of the pump on the vapor. The rhigolene condensed in this manner within the case is, by reason of the pressure in the case, forced out through the pipe 25 and asses to the expansion valve 2, at which it is expanded, the resulting cold vapor or gas passing through the pipe or coil 3 and back through the outer pipe 29, exerting a cooling effect on the liquid within the inner pipe 28 so as to increase the refrigerating effect. The gas or vapor passes from the pipe 29 to'the pipe 8 aforesaid, leading to the intake of the pump where it is again subjected to comprcssion by the pump and forced into the space within the case 1, the compressed fluid rising through the bod of glycerin 10 into the space over said b y of fluid.

An important advantage of the construction above described is that the compressin and condensing apparatus is wholly sel contained. and requires no external case or retainer for the refrigeratin liquid.

The form of rotary pump s own operates by carrying the vapor or gas in the spaces between the teeth and delivering such vapor or gas to the outlet of the pump easing into the body of the li uid 10 1n the interior of the case 1, said bo y of liquid-being cooled by the action of the water jacket so that as the gas or vapor is brought into contact therewith and is subjected to' the full pressure in the interior of the case it is condensed wholly or partially and rises to the to of the body oi liquid 10 by reason of its lig ter specific gravity. The spaces between the teeth are filled with the glycerin or the submerging liquid in this operation, and in the continuation of the rotary movement this liquid is squeezed out from in between the teeth by the intermeshing of the gears. In this intermeshing operation the formation of the gears with two spiral ortions having reversely inclined teeth is of special advantage in that it gives a gradual intermeshing action so that the liquid is first forced from'the end portions of the spaces and expulsion of the liquid proceeds gradually from the end portions toward the center. By this gradual action of the liquid, due to the spiral form of the gear teeth, we avoid excessive strain or pounding due to sudden pocketing and compression of the liquid between the teeth at the point of intermeshing, thereby avoiding excessive strain on the bearings with resulting wear and friction.

To eliminate any sudden compression that might occur at the moment that the compression or expulsion of liquid reaches the mid-point of the teeth where the two s iral portions come together, we may provi e at such portion a recess or pocket 51 forming a passage or clearance space for expulsion of liquid at this moment.

What we claim is:

1. A refrigerating apparatus comprising a case provided with cooling means, a rotary pump within said case having an outlet 0 ening into the space within said case, a ho yof fluid within said case submerging said pump and the outlet thereof and serving as a seal for the pump and as 'a heat communicating means, a supply pipe extending into said case and communicating with the pump at the inlet thereof for su plying to the pump a relatively volatile uid refrigcrating medium, an outlet pipe extending from said case above the level of the body of sealing liquid therein to serve as an outlet for the condensed refrigerating fluid,

and expansion and distributin means conpressing and condensing device comprising a case provided with cooling means, a rotary pump within said case having an outlet opening into the space within said case, a body 7.0 the inlet thereof for supplying to the pump a relatively volatile fluid refrigerating medium, and an outlet pipe extending from said case above the level of the body of sealing liquid therein to serve as an outlet for'the condensed refrigerating fluid. 15

.In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Los Angeles California this 19th day of December 1911.

GEORGE I. LEONARD. WILLIAM G. CUTLER.

In presence of G. T. HACKLEY, GLADYS RUSSELL. 

